Thursday 19 December 2013

Supernova, the mag for curious kids: volume 3.2

Supernova vol. 3.2
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Writing is one of the toughest things to do. Many people don't realise how much planning, thought, editing and gruelling hours go into writing a story. That is why we find it a little disappointing when great stories, whether written or oral, are changed or adapted, mostly to suit the audience of the time. Great ideas and creativity of masterminds are lost. We like to keep it, well, 'real'.

This is why this issue of Supernova delves into the dark forests of the little known original telling of the classic tales. Did, for example, the little mermaid really live happily ever after? Did Cinderella really just leave her evil stepmother and sisters in peace after she married Prince Charming? We think you can handle the truth, so you'll just have to read this issue of Supernova to find out more.

This issue is also packed with great ideas to keep you busy this summer holiday – make a shark attack snack from a watermelon, create your own treasure hunt, organise a flash mob, learn to surf and so much more.

So, go on, we know you're curious. Get your copy of the latest issue of Supernova today and get your nose stuck in for some serious holiday fun!

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Tuesday 17 December 2013

A hero's departure




BK Publishing pays tribute to the father of the Rainbow Nation. 


The entire world is moved by the death of Nelson Mandela – a hero of the people, the father of a nation and an icon of peace, love and equality. On the 5th of December 2013 the world bid farewell to our hero and inspiration, who passed away at the age of 95. His legacy will impact and be remembered by many generations to come. Along with the rest of the world, we feel blessed to have had the opportunity to be inspired by the love, forgiveness and strength that Madiba embodied.


Mandela was born in a village called Mveso in Umata. When he moved to Johannesburg, where he studied to be a lawyer and founded the ANC youth league, little did he know that he was at the beginning of a journey that would change the lives of millions.

As the leader of a resistance movement Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison. In total, he spent 27 years in prison until his release in 1990. He then entered into negotiations with President F.W. de Klerk to abolish Apartheid and establish multi-racial elections in 1994, in which he led the ANC to victory and became South Africa’s first black president.




What is the most remarkable about Nelson Mandela is not the different titles he acquired during his life - 'political activist', 'prisoner' or 'president', but rather the values he embodied within each situation. While being oppressed by the law, he showed passion, courage and hope within a situation that showed little prospect of success. As a prisoner, he showed patience and dignity despite his hopeless situation. As president, he embodied forgiveness, love and the willingness to forget the past, and he treated his success with humility and a 
                                                                                 good sense of humour.



Mandela did not only claim to stand for peace and equality, but he also proved it through his actions by peacefully terminating the Apartheid regime and laying the foundations for a new, democratic South Africa.




No one is born hating another person... People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human than its opposite.” We are forever grateful towards Nelson Mandela for setting the example of living a life of love and peace. May we continue to learn from his example and the legacy we have been blessed with.



Rest in peace Madiba. We will remember you always.



Words by Marike Ferreira
Illustrations copyright of George Asamoah-Awuah

Thursday 12 December 2013

New Supernova magazine website!


Check out the new Supernova magazine website




South Africa succeeds at WRO in Jakarta

The Wetland Rangers, Pieter and Kobie Theron
On 23 October, we blogged about the World Robot Olympiad round which took place in Pretoria. The Wetland Rangers and QWERTY Robots CE3 teams were invited as two of seven teams to represent South Africa in their respective open categories in Jakarta in November. Wetland Rangers placed 4th overall in the Open – Elementary Category, while QWERTY Robots CE3 placed 2nd overall in the Open – Senior Category.


QWERTY Robots - CE3, Dylan Rheeders and Marco Pretorius




The five Regular category teams also performed extremely well. There were teams who placed in the top 20 of this category.

The Supernova team is bursting with pride at these amazing achievements. We hope to see your projects being put to effective use in the near future. Keep up with the great work and stay curious!




For more information regarding the WRO, you can visit http://www.handsontech.co.za/WRO.html









Tuesday 10 December 2013

Experience the magic of the festive season at Montecasino

5 December to 13 October 2013

Throughout December and January, there’s family fun to be found in every corner of Montecasino, with a jam-packed schedule of entertainment and activities. Kicking off the holiday fun on 6 December, Montecasino brings you a free screening of a festive season movie on the huge Outdoor Piazza screen. From 13 to 22 December, the Piazza will come alive with laughter and excitement as the Montecasino Playground - Holiday Fun brings an assortment of non-stop games, competitions, jumping castles, face-painting and lots, lots more to children aged between 2 and 14 years. Gates will open from 10:00 to 17:00 on weekends and public holidays, and from 12:00 to 16:00 during the week. Entrance is free, with certain activities carrying a cost to participate (i.e. ceramic painting, sand art etc.) and lots of delicious treats on sale.

Don’t miss a treat for the whole family with the Imperial Ice Stars’ Sleeping Beauty on Ice, set to dazzle young and old at the Teatro at Montecasino from 5 December 2013 to 12 January 2014. Direct from a worldwide tour, this spectacular production of Sleeping Beauty on Ice is set to Tchaikovsky’s magnificent music. Tickets are available at montecasino.co.za or at Computicket.


Sleeping Beauty on Ice

For entertainment of the furry and feathery kind, the Montecasino Bird Gardens is offering a Holiday Programme from 9 to 20 December (excluding weekends and public holidays) that will delight, educate and provide mom and dad with some time off to do last-minute Christmas shopping. Now open for bookings, the Montecasino Bird Gardens Holiday Programme caters for children aged 6 to 11 years of age and presents hours of fun for the kiddies in the form of games, tours and crafts. Call the Montecasino Bird Gardens on 011 511 1864 or visit www.montecasino.co.za for details.


Montecasino Bird Gardens

Holidays are always a good excuse for wining and dining, and there’s no shortage of options at Montecasino. Why not bring the whole family along for a delicious festive lunch at any of the three Tsogo Sun hotels within the Montecasino precinct, including the Palazzo, Southern Sun Montecasino and SunSquare, where each restaurant will be pulling out all the stops to add some culinary magic to their menus this Christmas.

For all the information on your Montecasino holiday line-up, visit montecasino.co.za or join us on Facebook at facebook.com/HYPERLINK"http://facebook.com/montecasino"montecasino. Alternatively, follow Montecasino on Twitter @MontecasinoZA.


Montecasino – We’ve Got It!


Issued on behalf of Montecasino by Strategic Public Relations.


Monday 9 December 2013

Montecasino Bird Gardens boosts conservation with a first for South Africa and Gauteng

PRESS RELEASE

Ring-tailed lemur

Bearing fruit to its ongoing conservation efforts, the Montecasino Bird Gardens has over the past few months successfully hand-reared three Mexican Beaded Lizard hatchlings (which is a first for South Africa), three Southern Ground Hornbill chicks and a baby Ring-tailed Lemur, all of which are endangered species. The hatching of a baby Eastern White Pelican adds to the growing number of success stories for the Bird Gardens breeding programme.




To contribute to the continued presence of the Mexican Beaded Lizard (Heloderma horridum horridum) in South Africa three eggs, laid in the Gardens, were collected for artificial incubation. It was an agonizing 179 days of waiting, but on 31 August the first of the three eggs began hatching. Over a period of three days, all the neonates, weighing between 33 and 44 grams and measuring roughly 16cm, made their appearance.

It’s a process, but one to which we are certainly committed,” says Property Manager of Montecasino, Deidre Jameson. “The Mexican Beaded Lizard has been listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 1975. The successful breeding of our three hatchlings was a first for South Africa and an achievement of which we are very proud.”

Another first for the Gardens and for Gauteng was the successful rearing of Penelope, the Eastern White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus). Penelope hatched under her mom and at four days old was pinioned, transpondered and a blood sample was sent away for DNA sexing. At this stage, Penelope weighed a mere 233 grams, but she has grown very quickly under the watchful eye of her very loving and protective parents. Very dark in colour at first, Penelope, is now two months and 26 days old and is becoming lighter in colour and losing her juvenile feathers.

Baby pelican
The first Southern Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri) chick of 2013 has also hatched. There are only 1500 Southern Ground Hornbills in Southern Africa and only 416 breeding pairs. The species is extremely threatened and within South Africa they have been considered endangered due to various threats, including secondary or accidental poisoning, electrocution, live trade, and traditional uses.

Soon these birds will be listed as ‘critically endangered’ in South Africa if extreme action is not taken, which is why, at the Montecasino Bird Gardens, we are proud to be part of the Mabula Ground Hornbill Project. The project protects existing wild populations and aims to reintroduce Southern Ground Hornbills in to areas where they have become locally extinct and to date the Montecasino Bird Gardens has hatched and hand-reared seven chicks. After fledging, these chicks are sent to ‘bush school’ before being released into the wild,” continues Jameson.

Another exciting addition came in the form of a baby male Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta) named Amby. Weighing roughly 70 grams at birth, and spending about a week being carried upside down while holding onto mom’s chest, the arrival of Amby brings the number of lemurs that can be seen at the Montecasino Bird Gardens to six – four males and two females.

Lemurs are endemic to Madagascar and some species are near extinction as deforestation on the island continues to create problems for the conservation of the biodiversity. Ring-tailed Lemurs have a gestation period of 135 days. In three years’ time Amby should be mature enough to start a family of his own.

We are very proud of the achievements of the Montecasino Bird Gardens and of the specialised care it provides to the over 1000 bird, reptile and mammal species housed at the Gardens, many of which are rare or endangered. The Montecasino Bird Gardens, like the rest of the precinct, is strongly environmental and conservation-focused and Montecasino invests heavily into the breeding, educational and rehabilitation programmes, while also being a delight for every visitor, young and old,” says Glenn Joseph, General Manager of Montecasino.

The Montecasino Bird Gardens is open to the public every day, excluding Christmas day. Through its children’s holiday programme and special events, the Bird Gardens fulfils an important role in environmental awareness and provides a tranquil and fun-filled environment for the whole family. For further information on the Montecasino Bird Gardens please visit www.montecasino.co.za.


Issued on behalf of the Montecasino Bird Gardens by Strategic Public Relations.